Marijuana is just one of many controlled substances that make their way onto university campuses, but its upcoming legalization is going to present particular challenges for Canadian universities as they attempt to strike a balance between federal law and university policy.

Canadian universities have zero-tolerance policies toward the use or possession of marijuana. Nevertheless, it is one of the most used and easily accessible recreational substances among university students. A 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey estimated past-year marijuana use to be 33% among 18-24-year-olds, the ages of most university students.

When I stayed in a university residence a few years ago, I had a first-hand look at how some students become dependent on marijuana, a dependence that seriously detracted from their studies. And a few students were funding their education by dealing marijuana both on and off campus.

The use of recreational marijuana poses legal issues for university administrators, who also should be concerned about the negative consequences it might have on students’ well-being and their ability to learn. A study published in the journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors in 2015 indicated that marijuana users miss more lectures and tutorials and are less likely to join extracurricular activities.

One of the challenges university administrations will face once recreational marijuana is legal is that universities have both adult and minor students, each with different legal status concerning controlled substances. It’s difficult to adopt an all-encompassing policy when some students are legally of age to consume, while others are below a government-mandated minimum age.

There are a few things we can learn from how my university, Simon Fraser, has dealt with alcohol policies. The university administration first permitted the consumption of alcohol on campus in 1969. As part of this move, the university consulted local alcohol and drug counselling service providers on how to best design and enforce the policies.

According to Bill Stewart, the Director of Student Services during this period, “making alcohol policy reasonable to the campus community was the main priority.” Simon Fraser’s current alcohol policy “seeks to create an environment in which alcohol is used responsibly and in moderation, and to discourage abusive and destructive alcohol-related behaviour on campus.”

Recreational marijuana is already legal in 24 U.S. states, and the challenges faced by post-secondary institutions in these states foreshadow the inevitable challenges that will confront Canadian universities. According to 2013 National College Health Assessment data, 32% of students at Colorado University reported using marijuana in the last 30 days. The zero-tolerance approach adopted by Colorado University and other U.S universities has not been effective in reducing the rate of consumption.

When the Seattle city attorney declared that police will no longer go after marijuana smokers, the University of Washington announced that it would maintain its zero-tolerance policy, enforced by campus police as a code of conduct stipulation but not as a crime.

Students who find themselves caught smoking marijuana risk losing federal student loans or scholarships even if Washington State considers them of legal age to consume.

Canadian universities will be best served by adopting an approach that raises awareness about marijuana instead of demonizing it. In practice this will mean directing more resources toward understanding both the benefits and the side effects of marijuana as opposed to enforcing a code of conduct that does not match the off-campus law.

Given that recreational marijuana might be legal in spring 2017, universities should start consulting students and parents about changes they anticipate will take effect after legalization. This consultative process will present an opportunity to also open discussion about other controlled substances more harmful than marijuana, especially for students facing mental health issues.

Some Vancouver-area post-secondary institutions have already started this process. Kwantlen Polytechnic University initiated a course in 2015 to provide an overview of the successes and challenges within the rapidly expanding medical marijuana market. In spring 2017, Simon Fraser University will start a course and lecture series that will probe the controversies surrounding proposed marijuana legalization in Canada.

Finding a balance between federal law and university policy is possible but will require time and effort from all key decision makers to find the sweet spot between permission and regulation.

Nelson Mensah-Aborampah is a student in Simon Fraser University’s Semester in Dialogue at CityStudio.

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